Marmaduke matthews



(No Model.)

, M. MATTHEWS.

. OIL LAMP. "N0. 324,715. dammed Aug. 18,1885.

es. [71762'Lt07".

M 24% 451M145 M a MARMADUK E MATTHEWVS, OF TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA.

Gib-LAMP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 324,715, dated August 18, 1885,

Application filed February 24, 1865.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MARMADUKE MAT- THEWS, of the city of Toronto, in the county of York, in the Province of Ontario, Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Oil-Lamps, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to that class of lamps, inkstands, 810., in which the fluid is fed from a reservoir, and the principal object of the invention is to devise means for preventing the escape of the fluid should the lamp or analogous article be accidentally tipped; and it consists essentially, first, in partially filling the horizontal tube between the reservoir and discharge with mercury or other heavy fluid, so that in the event of the tipping of the lamp or analogous article the mercury forms a cutoff valve to separate the fluid in the reservoir from the discharge, and, secondly, in placing over the upper end of the discharge a bellshaped cap, arranged to form an aircompression chamber, substantially as and for the purpose hereinafter explained.

Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of a students lamp constructed in accordance with my invention and shownstanding on a flat surface. Fig. 2 is an elevation of my improved lamp, showing it tipped at an angle in order to exhibit the operation of the mercury contained within the horizontal connecting-pipe, which is shown in section for that purpose. Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing the top of the vertical oil-tube with its cap fixed in position.

I have chosen a students lamp for the purpose of illustrating myinvention, although my invention is applicable to inkst-ands and analogous articles in which the main supply of the fluid is contained in a reservoir.

In the drawings, A represents a casing supported on one end of the pipe B and designed to contain the reservoir 0, which is journaled, as shown, within the casing A, and has a single aperture, a, for the admission or escape of the oil or other fluid.

D is a handle fixed to one axis of the reservoir O. This handle ishollow and is partially filled with mercury, shot, or other heavy movable material, which, by shifting from one end of the handle to the other when the said handle is moved for the purpose of turning the reservoir 0, constitutes a balanceweight for holding the reservoirO stationary, with its aperture a either on the upper side or on the lower side, as indicated in the drawings.

WVhen the reservoirOis to be filled with oil or other fluid, the handle D is turned so as to bring the aperture at opposite to the hole in the casing A, which in the drawings is shown to be plugged by the screwed stopper 1). The weighted handle D will hold it in exactly the proper position so that the fluid can easily be poured intothe reservoir 0, which, when filled, is turned on its pivot until the aperturea reaches the position shown in the drawings, where it is held stationary by the weighted handle D. The stopper 1) is then screwed into position. It will be noticed that the oil-pipe B extends horizontally from a point below the casing A to a point below the burner E, at which latter point it turns upwardly and extends vertically within the wick-tube F.

G is a cap suspended over the top of the pipe 13, so as to form an air-compression cham ber over the top of the said pipe.

cl represents mercury or other heavy fluid, which, as shown, partially fills the horizontal portion of the oil-pipe B.

When the oil or other fluid is discharged from the aperture a into the pipe B, it will naturally flow through the said pipe to the open end of the pipe 13. As this end is provided with an air-compression chamber formed by the cap G, it becomes sealed when the oil or other fluid reaches above its bottom open edge. The flow of the oil or other fluid over the top of the said pipe is checked by the compression of the air within the top of the cap G consequently the flow of oil or other fluid from the said pipe B will only be in accordance with the requirements of the lamp, and in the event of any tipping of the lamp the compressed air contained within the top of the cap G easily holds the oil or other fluid contained within the vertical portion of the pipe B within the wick-tube F, while the main body of the oil or other fluid flowing from the reservoir 0 is cut ofl from the portion of the pipe B within the wick-tube F by the mercury cl, which, when the lamp is tilted, assumes the position it is indicated in in Fig. 2, and, being ery much heavier than the oil,easi1y holds in check the oil flowing from the reservoir 0. It will thus be seen that not only is the supply of oil to the wick-tube nicely regulated, but 5 that in the event of the lamp being tipped it is practically impossible for the oil or other fluid to overflow through the burner. What I claim as my invention is The combination, with the pipe B, having horizontal section charged with mercury, of the [0 cap G, fitting over the upper end of the pipe, and adapted to serve with the pipe F and res ervoir, as set forth.

Toronto, February 20, 1885.

MARMADUKE MATTHEWS. In presence of I GEO. W. GRoTE, CHARLES C. BALDWIN. 

